Nov 1

November 1, 2006

Since we left the MTC today is the first day we could honesty say the mission is a truly amazing and wonderful experience. Nothing big happened, but through small and simple things the Lord manifests Himself.

We started the day with preparations for our little clothing giveaway. This has been a thorn in our sides for some time. First of all we weren’t that excited about bringing all those boxes of clothes from Whiteriver to Cibecue. Then President Benito was less than thrilled that we brought them. According to the Elders his exact statement was, “I don’t know why we want to drag their garbage over here.” We felt the clothes were a step above “garbage” but we had put them inside the church and we think he just didn’t want to deal with them. We didn’t ask his permission before we got them, so that was probably part of the problem. We’re used to making decisions on our own and then just doing it.

We wanted P. Benito to announce that the clothes were available and just let branch members look through them. But he never did so we asked if it would be all right if we put some signs around town and let people come to the church and choose some of the clothing. He agreed to that and we decided to do it from 10:00 AM to noon today. We doubted anyone would even come.

Much to our surprise people started coming at 9:45 and it was 12:30 before we were able to put the clothes and the tables away. We probably had 25-30 people, which is quite a few for our little community. Many of them were neighbors, some we already knew, and all visited with us. Some took the church pamphlets we had put out. We also put out the Halloween candy we didn’t give away last night. We had pretty cheap stuff since we didn’t know how many kids to expect. One teenage girl said to another, “Well they sure have sh.. for candy.” She then turned around and saw Linda standing right behind her and was sincerely and genuinely embarrassed and apologized profusely. Another lady had been baptized but doesn’t come any more, boy, that’s getting to be an old story, but she told us her son is in jail and by the time she left Robert had given her a Book of Mormon to take to her son and assured her that we will visit him on Sunday.

We felt so good about all the people we met and talked with, but they didn’t take a lot of clothes with them. So when all was said and done we still had 4 boxes of clothing to deal with. We were so sick and tired of it all we loaded the boxes in the truck and took off as soon as we could for Show Low to give the clothes to the first victim, oops, we mean lucky person, we could find. About this same time we decided to take our Temple clothes with us and see if we could get in a session, as we haven’t been since we went to the Provo Temple.

In Show Low Robert called the Family Services office and asked if there was somewhere up there, nearer the Temple, where we could donate some clothing. They said there was a place in the parking lot of the grocery store, Basha’s, in Taylor, the town just before Snowflake where the Temple is. Wrong! No container at Basha’s. We called LDSFS again and they told us another place where Deseret Industries picks up donations. We got lost trying to find it and stopped and asked a man out in his yard for directions. He gave them to us then said, “If you don’t find it, come back and I’ll drive over there and you can follow me.” Nice! But we did find it, only to discover they no longer accept donations there. They had a phone number posted and we called that. It is appropriate to insert here that Robert was the OCD person about all this. Linda’s suggestion was find the nearest landfill and dump the stuff. So, called the number posted and that person gave us a number for a thrift store nearby. Called there and they said no thanks, they didn’t have any place to store that much clothing, but they knew another store that was just opening and might take them.

This place was across the street from Basha’s where we started in the first place and it didn’t have a sign or anything so we would never have known what it was. When we drove up several men were talking in the open doorway and were thrilled when Robert asked if they would like a little bit of clothing for their store. They were truly delighted and even came out and unloaded the boxes for us. We felt that we had been sent there as an answer to someone’s prayers. We just wonder if next time the Lord might be a little more direct in letting us know where we’re supposed to go.

Finally we got to the temple. Now, we need to write a little background. We mentioned that yesterday wasn’t a great day. It was like hitting rock bottom after Sharon and Ray left. We felt like we just couldn’t get things moving fast enough and that we weren’t accomplishing much and that we just don’t fit in here. Obviously we are sort of outsiders on the rez. But more than that we feel like outsiders in the mission. The mission president clearly told us he doesn’t know what to do with us and prefers proselying couples and we haven’t bonded with the other couples. Then we said we haven’t really had a spiritual experience since leaving the MTC so we felt like we were distant even from God.

But tonight the temple was a spiritual outpouring. We were asked to be the witness couple and that just seemed to set the tone for the whole session. We felt the spirit so strongly as we knelt at the altar. It seemed like the confirmation we needed that we’re where we’re supposed to be and that what we have to offer is acceptable to the Lord. Robert said that we need to remember it’s the Lord’s work and He will provide. We want to set our own goals and timelines and we can’t do that. We feel that today He sent those He wanted us to meet to the clothing giveaway. Then we feel we were meant to go to the thrift store. These things all happen in His way and at His time. We need to be sure we make ourselves available so He can work through us, but it’s not up to us to decide who and when and where. The kids have all said what an amazing thing it is to be on a mission and every day let the Lord guide your footsteps and today is the first time we’ve felt that way too. Sometimes it’s when we’re most discouraged that we get the greatest blessings.